Completion date set for work on original Erie Canal locks

LOCKPORT – The State Canal Corp. for the first time has set a firm completion date for returning two of the original Erie Canal locks to working order.

David R. Kinyon, chairman of the city committee overseeing the reconstruction of the Flight of Five, as the 19th century locks are known, said Tuesday the Canal Corp. has set a June 30, 2014, completion target.

However, the award of a construction contract for the work, originally expected in May, has been pushed back into June, Kinyon said. “The approvals were a little slower in coming from the state Historic Preservation Office than the Canal Corp. had thought,” he explained.